Happy Birthday, Diane Sawyer! You Debuted Big Last Night — But Not As Big As Katie Couric!

Did you tune in for Diane’s “World News” debut?

Hey, Diane Sawyer — congratulations on your new gig as anchor of “World News Tonight!” Your first night on the job earned you about 8.9 million viewers, according to Fast Affiliate Nielsen data, which means you beat out Katie Couric on CBS (she got 5.9 million) and came real close to tying with Brian Williams on NBC (he had 9.3 million.) But even though your premiere numbers are pretty impressive, they pale in comparison to the 13.6 million people who checked out Katie’s debut in 2006.

Official national numbers are being released next Tuesday, so then we’ll have a better idea of just how many people welcomed you into their homes last night. According to Mediabistro’s TV Newser, “World News” has been averaging 8 million viewers per night this season, so be proud of yourself for setting a new standard.